


Hush, Little Babies

by LadySage



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Kindergarten & Pre-school, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-05 23:22:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21216740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadySage/pseuds/LadySage
Summary: It's the week before a major holiday and a four-day weekend. With most of the staff gone, the executive director Rhea assigns Byleth, a new substitute, the duty of doing nap support in each of the classrooms. The kids are cute, but can Byleth handle it when they rebel?





	Hush, Little Babies

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this adorable fanart: https://twitter.com/meru90/status/1164464208320372736?s=20
> 
> As a preschool teacher, it got me thinking - what would the students of the Garreg Mach Officer's Academy be like as children at naptime?
> 
> Everything in this fic is based on my real experiences.

Around noon on a day in late November, Byleth stepped through the doors of Garreg Mach preschool, pressed her index finger against the reader, waiting for the beep that confirmed she was clocked in. She shrugged off her coat and shook the snow out of her hair as she walked toward the executive director’s office.

The director, Rhea smiled and handed her a narrow slip of paper listing her schedule for the afternoon. “Thank you for agreeing to work for the holiday week,” she said. “Numbers are pretty low, but there’s always a few families that still come, and many of the teachers from out of town requested the week off.”

Byleth just nodded and said, “It’s not a problem.” Her only family to celebrate with was her father, who wasn’t much of a holiday person. She looked at her schedule, and frowned at the first thing written. There it was, her least favorite assignment: “Nap support - Pink Room.” There was no use objecting - as a float, she went where she was needed without complaint. She slung her coat over her shoulder, stuck her schedule in her pocket, and walked toward the hallway.

On her way to the classroom, she walked past the office of the assistant director, Seteth. He was frowning at his computer screen, apparently unaware of the small girl next to him pawing through his filing cabinets.

“Morning, Flayn,” she said. “No school today?”

“Good morning Byleth!” the girl replied, a cheery grin on her face as she surreptitiously slid the drawer shut. “I’m helping my brother at work today!”

Without looking up, Seteth said, “Her kindergarten is closed for the entire week. Rather than hiring a stranger to babysit, I felt it was more appropriate to bring her here.” He smiled down at her. “She promised she would listen and behave herself, isn’t that right?”

“Yep!”

Byleth continued down the hall until she arrived in the Pink Room, one of the mixed-age preschool classrooms. The room, named for the soft cherry blossom pink of its walls, had only eight children present for the day, since many families took the whole week off. The lead teacher, Alois, greeted Byleth at the door. She smiled at the petite three-year-old in his arms, who hid her face.

“Byleth! Good to see you! No turkey day travel?” Alois clapped her warmly on the shoulder with his free hand.

She shook her head.

“I guess I’m not surprised. Jeralt never met a holiday he didn’t ignore. Hopefully you’ll find a chance to  _ gobble up _ some good food!” He coughed when she just stared at him. “Well, we’re just finishing up lunch and getting ready for nap. You know the routine right? Good!” He looked at the girl he was holding. “Now Bernie, do you want me to hand you to Byleth, or should I put you down?”

“No!” Bernadetta, who was notorious among the subs and floats for her fear of any staff members other than Alois and Seteth, pressed her face into his shoulder.

“I have to go now. I’m going to put you down, and Byleth will help you if you need anything. I’ll be back soon.” He set the child down and slipped out the door.

She threw herself at the door, scrambling at it and sobbing, “ALOIS! ALOIS!” Byleth reached out, hoping to comfort her, but Bernie ducked into her cubby and huddled there, crying.

Byleth sighed. After two months of work, she’d managed to win over quite a few of the children, but a few of them were tougher nuts to crack than others. She surveyed the room.

Most of the children had cleaned up their plates and started setting out their mats. This class was quite independent and needed only a little guidance during transitions, with just a few challenges.

One of those challenges was Hubert, who had set out his mat next to Edelgard’s.

“Hubert,” she said, “move your mat.”

“No,” he replied, glowering. She sighed - this one had a defiant streak,  _ and  _ he was way too overprotective Edelgard.

“You know you’re not supposed to sleep next to Edie.”

“Why not?”

“Because you start hitting anyone who gets near her. I know Alois has talked to you about this many times. Your spot is next to Ferdinand.”

“But I hate him!”

“We’re all friends at Garreg Mach. I’m not arguing with you anymore. Move your mat.”

“Listen to the teacher, Hubert!” Ferdinand intoned, then looked smiling up at Byleth for approval. Ferdinand was always correcting the other children. It made her crazy, but it wasn’t exactly something she could tell him off for. 

“Thanks, Ferdie.”

Hubert slammed his little feet against the ground. “Fine!” he said. He picked up his mat in a huff, stomped as he dragged it across the room, and threw the end down next to Ferdinand’s bed. He sat down on it, crossed his arms, and glared silently at Byleth.

“You can be mad about it, that’s fine.” She turned her attention to Linhardt, who was sitting on his mat, absorbed in a book about fish. “Book time is over in ten minutes, Lin,” she said. Her first time in the classroom, Alois had informed her that he first started reading fluently around his third birthday, so she knew he was actually reading the book. It was strange that he was still awake, though. Usually he was the first one asleep, to the point that sometimes he even passed out sitting up at the lunch table.

She glanced over at the cubbies - Bernadetta was still curled up in hers. She grabbed her favorite toy, a stuffed pitcher plant, and set it down next to her. “Do you want to sleep with Flyeater today?” she asked. Bernadetta didn’t reply, but shifted slightly to look at Byleth with one eye.

There was a crash, and Byleth turned to look for its source. She found Caspar, swinging around some sort of contraption he’d made out K’nex. “Look, teacher! I made an axe!”

“That’s a cool axe, Caspar, but it’s time to get ready for nap now. Go get your mat.”

“Okay!” He put down his creation and ran off toward the nap cubbies.

“No running!”

She turned her attention to the two girls who were sitting on a mat together, holding their stuffed animals and giggling.

“Hi Thea. Hi Petra. You can sit together for now, but in ten minutes it’ll be time for you to go back to your mat, Thea.”

Dorothea nodded. “Petra, do you want me to sing you to sleep?”

“Okay!” Petra, who was still only two but kept up easily enough with the other children, laid down on her mat. “Cover me?”

Dorothea smoothed her blanket over her, and started singing, “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy…”

Byleth smiled at the sight - not only was it adorable, but that meant one less child she’d have to put down.

She looked at the cubbies again, and saw that Bernadetta was no longer there. When she wasn’t watching, the child had set up her mat and now laid on it, quietly crying to herself.

“Bernie, is there anything I can help you with?”

Bernadetta buried her face in her pillow, shaking her head with a muffled sob.

Caspar ran by, this time with K’nex sticking out of his closed fist like claws. 

“Caspar, is your mat set up?”

He ignored her, yelling, “Look, Lin! Pow! Pow!” Linhardt did not look up from his book.

Byleth set her hand on his arm to get his attention. “Go get your mat ready. Now.”

“Oh right! I forgot.” Once again, he ran toward the cubbies.

“Walk in the classroom,” she called after him, to no effect.

“Caspar, walk!” Ferdinand repeated.

“Okay, everyone, time to lie down!”

She paused to take stock of the situation as she closed the curtains and turned out the lights. Petra was asleep, and Dorothea had settled herself on her mat, singing softly to herself. Hubert was still scowling at her from his mat. Edelgard, who had stopped napping recently, was sitting on her own, and Byleth didn’t like the mulish expression that had blossomed on her face. Caspar had set out his mat, but was fidgeting with something he’d tucked under it. Linhardt still had his book. Bernadetta had managed to cry herself to sleep. Ferdinand was lying down, but was rolling around, watching his classmates’ misbehavior.

“Caspar,” he whispered. “Put the toys away! Lin, stop reading! Hubert, lie down!”

“Shut up,” Hubert hissed.

“Hubert, we don’t use those words at school.” Each child would need some attention, but she couldn’t take care of all of them at once. She did a quick mental triage, and decided to deal with Caspar first. She plucked the string of beads, which she presumed he had made earlier in the day, out of his hand. “I’m putting this aside for now, Caspar. You can have it after wake up time.”

“Okay!” he said. She couldn’t help but smile - under all the poor impulse control, Caspar had a good nature and was eager to please. She placed her hand on his back, applying gentle pressure as he wiggled under it.

“Teacher,” he said, “did you know that even though yesterday was a stay-home day, we’re having another one in just two MORE days? It’s for a holiday. My family and Lin’s family are going to get together and…”

This was his usual naptime routine; he’d chatter and squirm away right until the moment he fell asleep. She ignored him, hoping he’d talk himself out quickly.

“We’re going to eat mushed ‘tatoes and cream corn and…” He trailed off, and she looked at his face. His eyes had fallen closed.

She turned her attention to Linhardt, who had taken his book back out when she was paying attention to Caspar.

“Lin, I see you’re really interested in that book,” she started.

“I don’t want to nap today,” he said without looking up. “I’m reading.”

“You don’t have to sleep Lin, but you do have to rest.”

He gave her that look that she hated most from him, like he couldn’t believe that someone as low as her would even attempt to tell him what to do. “I don’t  _ have _ to do anything. I don’t want to rest. I want to read.”

“Linhardt, Teacher said to put the book away!”

“I can handle this, Ferdie. Lin, you can put the book away or I will have to take it away.”

He sighed, “No you won’t, Teacher Blobfish.” He looked at Ferdinand. “You’re like a remora, sucking up like that.”

Where did a four-year-old even learn to talk like that? “Linhardt, that’s not very friendly. Now, be flexible, and…” she put her hands on the book, but he snatched it away.

“NO!”

Her heart started to pound in her chest. She’d never had this kind of pushback from him, didn’t know what he’d respond to.

“I’m putting the book away now, Lin.” She wrestled it out of his grasp, hoping his howls wouldn’t wake the ones who were already sleeping. As she stood up, something hard hit her on the head. She turned to see Edelgard, standing on the couch and glaring with a block in her hand.

“You can’t make him sleep!”

“Edie! Go back to your mat!”

“Why do teachers get to tell us what to do? You think you’re so smart!” She hurled the block at Byleth, hitting her on the shoulder this time.

Where was she even getting the blocks? They were in a completely different part of the classroom. Then she noticed Hubert, hiding under the couch with a stockpile and smiling the smile of a child who knew he had gotten one over on an adult.

She heard stirring all around her - the others were starting to wake up, blinking sleepily as Edelgard threw block after block at Byleth. Her aim was mostly pretty good… until one hit Petra. The two-year-old started to cry.

“This is all your fault!” Edelgard shouted at her.

Alois walked into the room, gaping at the chaos. Any attempts he made to calm Edelgard down only seemed to make the situation worse.

Byleth realized she was in over her head. She ran to the classroom phone and dialed the office. “I need help,” she gasped.

“I’ll be right there,” Rhea said. A minute later, she burst into the room, her gentle kindness replaced with the kind of fury that can frighten even the most rebellious toddler into submission. Once they were all asleep, she turned to Byleth.

“Will you be okay now?” she asked.

Byleth didn’t reply right away. She felt terrible, like she had failed as a teacher.

Rhea smiled, all the kindness back in her eyes. “You did your best. In moments like that, it can be hard to know what to do, especially when you’re new to the job. You’re a good teacher. I believe in you. You can go take a few minutes to cool off.”

Byleth stumbled out of the room.


End file.
